Fort Vredeburg Museum (official name: ''Museum Benteng Vredeburg Yogyakarta'') was a former colonial
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
located in the city of
Yogyakarta,
Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The military complex has been converted into a museum of the Indonesian independence struggle which was opened in 1992. It is located in front of
Gedung Agung and near the
Kraton Yogyakarta (Sultan's Palace).
History
The Fortress
In 1760, after the foundation of the new
Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat
The Royal Palace of Yogyakarta ( id, Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, jv, ꦏꦿꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠꦲꦢꦶꦤꦶꦔꦿꦠ꧀) is a palace complex in the city of Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is ...
, the Dutch governor of North Java coast Nicolaas Harting requested a fort to be built in Yogyakarta. The barracks was built on a plot provided by
Sultan Hamengkubuwono I
Hamengkubuwono I (Javanese script: ꦱꦸꦭ꧀ꦠꦤ꧀ꦲꦩꦼꦁꦏꦸꦧꦸꦮꦤꦆ, Bahasa Jawa: ''Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I''), born Raden Mas Sujana (Kartasura, 16 August 1717Yogyakarta, 24 March 1792), was the first sultan of Yogyak ...
, the first fort was a simple wooden fort with four bastions.
Later in 1767 the fortress was extended and converted into a more permanent structure under supervision of a Dutch architect Frans Haak. After its completion in 1787 the fort was named ''Fort Rustenburg'' ("resting fort" in Dutch).
[Benteng Vredeburg]
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In 1867 the old fort was destroyed by an
earthquake. The fort was rebuilt and renamed ''Fort Vredeburg'', which in the Dutch language means "peace fort" due to peaceful co-existence of the fort and the Kraton of the Sultan.
Later in 1942, during the
Japanese occupation of Indonesia, the fortress was taken over by the Japanese army and made into the army's headquarters and war prison. After the Japanese left in 1945, Fort Vredeburg served the
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
as a military command post, barracks and prison for suspected members of the
communist party.
The museum
In 1947 the ceremonies on honoring
Budi Utomo's 40th founding anniversary was held in the fort. At the occasion,
Ki Hadjar Dewantara expressed the idea of converting the fortress into a cultural institution. To realize this, a newly set up foundation took charge of the gradual restoration of the former fort.
An agreement was concluded to have a cultural institution in the fort, between Daoed Joesoef, the Minister of
Education and Culture and Sultan
Hamengkubuwono IX in 1980. As a result, major renovation of the building took place in 1982. In 1984
Nugroho Notosusanto, the new Minister, changed the original plans and instead, created a museum intended to showcase Indonesia's struggle for independence. The museum was officially opened on 23 November 1992.
Yogyakarta was devastated by
an event
''An Event'' ( hr, Događaj) is a 1969 Yugoslav feature film directed by Vatroslav Mimica, based on a short story by Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date ...
that damaged a large number of buildings and cultural properties in the region, including the fort. It was repaired later afterwards.
Exhibition
The museum includes collections of old photographs, historical objects and replicas. A diorama portraying Indonesia's journey for independence is also displayed in the museum. The original design included 93 of these diorama showcases, however when the museum opened in 1992, only 30 of them were finished. Another 18 showcases have been added as of March 1996.
All events depicted in the diorama's showcases took place in Yogyakarta and its surrounding region. The dioramas cover various events from the capture of
Pangeran Diponegoro
Prince Diponegoro ( jv, ꦢꦶꦥꦤꦼꦒꦫ; born Bendara Raden Mas Mustahar, ; later Bendara Raden Mas Antawirya ; 11 November 1785 – 8 January 1855), also known as Dipanegara, was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. The e ...
in 1830 to
Sukarno
Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of ...
's return to
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
in 1949. The dioramas are divided into 2 sections: one depicts remarkable events (33), such as the founding of
Muhammadiyah
Muhammadiyah ( ar, محمدية; 'followers of Muhammad'); also known as the Muhammadiyah Society ( id, Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah) is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer ...
or
Taman Siswa
''Taman Siswa'' ( en, Garden of Pupils) was a Javanese educational movement and school system
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally pri ...
; and another focusing on war and struggle (15) such as guerrilla warfare during the independence war.
Architecture
This fort was built as the center of government and defense for the Dutch residents at that time, surrounded by a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
(''jagang'') of which some of the remains have been reconstructed and can be seen today. This square-shaped fort has four
bastions
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
(watch towers) in each of the corners.
Gallery
File:Fort Vredeburg 4.jpg
File:Fort Vredeburg interior.JPG
File:Fort Vredeburg 7.jpg
File:Museum Benteng Vredeburg 01.jpg
File:Musium vredenburg.JPG
File:Fort Vredeburg 3.jpg
Notes
External links
Fort Vredeburg MuseumMuseum Benteng Vredeburg
{{Authority control
Vredeburg
Museums in Yogyakarta
Cultural Properties of Indonesia in Yogyakarta
Military and war museums in Indonesia